Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time


Michael Shermer - 1997
    A no-holds-barred assault on popular superstitions and prejudices, with more than 80,000 copies in print, Why People Believe Weird Things debunks these nonsensical claims and explores the very human reasons people find otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing. In an entirely new chapter, "Why Smart People Believe in Weird Things," Michael Shermer takes on science luminaries like physicist Frank Tippler and others, who hide their spiritual beliefs behind the trappings of science.Shermer, science historian and true crusader, also reveals the more dangerous side of such illogical thinking, including Holocaust denial, the recovered-memory movement, the satanic ritual abuse scare, and other modern crazes. Why People Believe Strange Things is an eye-opening resource for the most gullible among us and those who want to protect them.

Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy


Sadhguru - 2016
    In fact, yoga is a sophisticated system of self-empowerment that is capable of harnessing and activating inner energies in such a way that your body and mind function at their optimal capacity. It is a means to create inner situations exactly the way you want them, turning you into the architect of your own joy.             A yogi lives life in this expansive state, and in this transformative book Sadhguru tells the story of his own awakening, from a boy with an unusual affinity for the natural world to a young daredevil who crossed the Indian continent on his motorcycle. He relates the moment of his enlightenment on a mountaintop in southern India, where time stood still and he emerged radically changed. Today, as the founder of Isha, an organization devoted to humanitarian causes, he lights the path for millions. The term guru, he notes, means “dispeller of darkness, someone who opens the door for you. . . . As a guru, I have no doctrine to teach, no philosophy to impart, no belief to propagate. And that is because the only solution for all the ills that plague humanity is self-transformation. Self-transformation means that nothing of the old remains. It is a dimensional shift in the way you perceive and experience life.” The wisdom distilled in this accessible, profound, and engaging book offers readers time-tested tools that are fresh, alive, and radiantly new. Inner Engineering presents a revolutionary way of thinking about our agency and our humanity and the opportunity to achieve nothing less than a life of joy. Praise for Sadhguru and Inner Engineering “Contrarian and consistent, ancient and contemporary, Inner Engineering is a loving invitation to live our best lives and a profound reassurance of why and how we can.”—Sir Ken Robinson, author of The Element, Finding Your Element, and Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative “I am inspired by Sadhguru’s capacity for joy, his exuberance for life, and the depth and breadth of his curiosity and knowledge. His book is filled with moments of wonder, awe, and intellectual challenge. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in self-transformation.”—Mark Hyman, M.D., director, Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and New York Times bestselling author “Inner Engineering is a fascinating read of Sadhguru’s insights and his teachings. If you are ready, it is a tool to help awaken your own inner intelligence, the ultimate and supreme genius that mirrors the wisdom of the cosmos.”—Deepak ChopraFrom the Hardcover edition.

You Own the Power: Stories And Exercises To Inspire And Unleash The Force Within


Rosemary Altea - 2000
    We may have the power of intuition...the power to sense the invisible world around us...the power to create healing energy. All that we need is a wise teacher to turn the handle, so we can open the door to what lies within us.Rosemary Altea is that teacher. She has guided thousands of students in their quest for self-empowerment. Now she shows all of us how to unblock and develop our gifts through simple, effective, and proven exercises. We learn how to release stress and find peace, locate our energy and build it up, and tune in to our sixth sense. But this groundbreaking work of self-empowerment is more than a how-to manual: woven into its fabric are miraculous stories of the spirit world, including the author's coversations with those who have departed this sphere. And it contains the wisest lesson of all: before we can communicate with the invisible forces around us, we must first learn to communicate with ourselves.

Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life


Thomas Moore - 1988
    Promising to deepen and broaden the reader's perspective on his or her own life experiences, Moore draws on his own life as a therapist practicing "care of the soul," as well as his studies of the world's religions and his work in music and art, to create this inspirational guide that examines the connections between spirituality and the problems of individuals and society.

23 Minutes In Hell: One Man's Story About What He Saw, Heard, and Felt in That Place of Torment


Bill Wiese - 2006
    He saw the searing flames of hell, felt total isolation, smelled the putrid and rotting stench, heard deafening screams of agony, and experienced terrorizing demons. Finally the strong hand of God lifted him out of the pit. Now Wiese shares his insights on commonly asked questions such as:Is hell a literal burning place?Where is hell?Do you have a body in hell?Are there degrees of punishment in hell?Are there children in hell?Can demons torment people in hell?Can “good” people go to hell?

The Master Key System


Charles F. Haanel - 1912
    The Master Key teaching has been published in the form of a Correspondence Course of 24 lessons, delivered to students one per week for 24 weeks. The reader, who now receives the whole 24 parts at one times, is warned not to attempt to read the book like a novel, but to treat it as a course of study and conscientiously to imbibe the meaning of each part - reading and re-reading one part only per week before proceeding to the next. Otherwise the later parts will tend to be misunderstood and the reader's time and money will be wasted. Used as thus instructed "The Master Key" will make of the reader a greater, better personality, and equipped with a new power to achieve any worthy personal purpose and a new ability to enjoy life's beauty and wonder.

I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj


Nisargadatta Maharaj - 1973
    The sage's sole concern was with human suffering and the ending of suffering. It was his mission to guide the individual to an understanding of his true nature and the timelessness of being. He taught that mind must recognize and penetrate its own state of being, "being this or that, here or that, then or now," but just timeless being.

What the Buddha Taught


Walpola Rahula - 1959
    “For years,” says the Journal of the Buddhist Society, “the newcomer to Buddhism has lacked a simple and reliable introduction to the complexities of the subject. Dr. Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught fills the need as only could be done by one having a firm grasp of the vast material to be sifted. It is a model of what a book should be that is addressed first of all to ‘the educated and intelligent reader.’ Authoritative and clear, logical and sober, this study is as comprehensive as it is masterly.”This edition contains a selection of illustrative texts from the Suttas and the Dhammapada (specially translated by the author), sixteen illustrations, and a bibliography, glossary and index.

Discover Your Psychic Type: Developing and Using Your Natural Intuition


Sherrie Dillard - 2008
    This groundbreaking guide offers a personalized approach to spiritual development, introducing four different psychic types and revealing how to develop the unique talents of each. Designed for both beginning intuitives and advanced psychics, this book presents a simple, step-by-step plan:Take the insightful quiz to learn whether you are a physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual intuitive Discover more about each type's nature, personality, strengths, and potential challenges Develop your psychic abilities with the meditations and exercises designed for your specific intuitive style Throughout the book, Dillard shares remarkable stories from her professional practice to illustrate the incredible power of intuition and its connection to the spirit world, inner wisdom, and your higher self.

The Way to Love


Anthony de Mello - 1991
    In thirty-one meditations, he implores his  readers with his usual pithiness to break through  illusion, the great obstacle to love. "Love  springs from awareness," de Mello insists, saying  that it is only when we see others as they are  that we can begin to really love. But not only must  we seek to see others with clarity, we must examine  ourselves without misconception. The task,  however, is not easy. "The most painful act,"  de Mello says, "is the act of seeing. But in  that act of seeing that love is born." Anthony  De Mello was the director of the Sadhana Institute  of Pastoral Counseling in Poona, India, and  authored several books. The Way To Love  is his last.

Full Contact Magick: A Book of Shadows for the Wiccan Warrior


Kerr Cuhulain - 2002
     Incorporate the Warrior archetype into your magickal practice and experience the power of full contact magick. Written by a Wiccan police officer, this no-nonsense guide gives you the foundation for taking control of your destiny. This potent magickal system explores the correspondences among the five elements, the Witch''s Pyramid, and the five Magickal Weapons. You will learn how to access your own internal energy and strength to overcome obstacles and problems in your life, and to heal yourself mentally and emotionally. You will discover how to make your magick more effective, instantly access energy (chi) for magickal purposes, and create your own spells and Book of Shadows. Full Contact Magick shows you how to use the archetypal power of Warrior and Witch to create the life you desire. First Runner Up for the 2003 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Award for Best Magic Book

The Secret History of the World


Jonathan Black - 2007
    From the esoteric account of the evolution of the species to the occult roots of science, from the secrets of the Flood to the esoteric motives behind American foreign policy, here is a narrative history that shows the basic facts of human existence on this planet can be viewed from a very different angle. Everything in this history is upside down, inside out and the other way around.At the heart of "The Secret History of the World" is the belief that we can reach an altered state of consciousness in which we can see things about the way the world works that are hidden from us in our everyday, commonsensical consciousness. This history shows that by using secret techniques, people such as Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton and George Washington have worked themselves into this altered state - and been able to access supernatural levels of intelligence. There have been many books on the subject, but, extraordinarily, no-one has really listened to what the secret societies themselves say. The author has been helped in his researches by his friendship with a man who is an initiate of more than one secret society, and in one case an initiate of the highest level.

The Three Pillars of Zen


Philip Kapleau - 1965
    Through explorations of the three pillars of Zen--teaching, practice, and enlightenment--Roshi Philip Kapleau presents a comprehensive overview of the history and discipline of Zen Buddhism.  An established classic, this 35th anniversary edition features new illustrations and photographs, as well as a new afterword by Sensei Bodhin Kjolhede, who has succeeded Philip Kapleau as spiritual director of the Rochester Zen Center, one of the oldest and most influential Zen centers in the United States.

Thoughts in Solitude


Thomas Merton - 1956
    Thomas Merton writes: "When society is made up of men who know no interior solitude it can no longer be held together by love: and consequently it is held together by a violent and abusive authority. But when men are violently deprived of the solitude and freedom which are their due, the society in which they live becomes putrid, it festers with servility, resentment and hate."Thoughts in Solitude stands alongside The Seven Storey Mountain as one of Merton's most enduring and popular works. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, is perhaps the foremost spiritual thinker of the twentieth century. His diaries, social commentary, and spiritual writings continue to be widely read after his untimely death in 1968. Librarian note: there is an alternate cover edition of this book here

Praying God's Word: Breaking Free From Spiritual Strongholds


Beth Moore - 2000
    Praying God's Word is a topical prayer guide addressing fourteen strongholds and what Scripture reveals about each issue. The Scriptures are presented in prayer form to be incorporated into the daily prayer life as a way of letting God's Word, through prayer, help you overcome the strongholds of bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, and other areas as well.